Working at a power plant puts many at risk of suffering from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, especially hands-on, blue-collar employees who install and maintain things like electrical appliances or pipes. Records show that insulation containing asbestos causes health problems for power plant workers later in life. It’s vital to be vigilant while working in a power plant as asbestos exposure can cause things one can or can’t see.
Several asbestos products can cause exposure that puts power plant workers at risk, including pipe covering, boilers, panels, gaskets and compounds. Plant workers have also sprayed asbestos insulating material directly onto heated machinery like boilers or, in one case, created asbestos dust while drilling and bolting General Electric breakers into a turbine.
Exposure can also result from negligence, with one 2011 case seeing 12 workers at the Virginia-based Surry Nuclear Power Plant get exposed to asbestos while cutting pipes. The pipe manufacturer later paid a $4,900 fine for failing to label its product.
A 2019 study determined that over 142,000 nuclear power plant workers across the U.S. developed mesothelioma and asbestosis from excess asbestos exposure. Not only can being in the power plant cause exposure, but unknowingly bringing asbestos fibers home on work clothes can lead to secondary exposure for loved ones.
Power plant workers who have developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure have successfully filed personal injury claims and asbestos trust fund claims to compensate for their expenses. One case in 2017 saw a Florida jury award $21 million to Richard Batchelor and his wife, Regina, after he developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure caused while working at a local power plant. Another case the previous year led to Massachusetts-based worker, Gerald Sylvestre, receiving $7.55 million after developing mesothelioma through exposure to asbestos insulation provided by New England Insulation Co. at the New Hampshire power plant where he worked.
Has any power plant worker here developed mesothelioma or any asbestos-related illness from exposure? Would appreciate your thoughts.